Mass Effect: Don't Fear The Reaper
by TheWolfofthePalatine
Summary: Set during the Saren Arterius Crisis, an ambitious humancentric plot to restart the First Contact War falls to pieces as corporate greed, adultery in the halls of power, unearthed Reaper artefacts and the apparition of the ship known as "Sovereign" threaten the future of the galaxy.


****Writing my Star Wars fanfic on this site sort of whet my appetite for science fiction; I decided to have a bit of fun and write in the universe of my favourite videogame series. The story is actually one that came to me reading the "Barracuda" story-arc of the The Punisher comics; about corporate bigshots screwing each other over and generally being unethical and so forth. In the world of Mass Effect, that sort of insane behaviour is amplified ten-fold, so, I thought it would be fun to experiment with and see where it took me. This is only a very short prologue to set the scene, more will follow if I have time between college and everything else.

For sake of reference, the timeline I intend this story to follow takes place during the events of the original Mass Effect, from the Normandy's maiden voyage to the Battle of the Citadel. Commander Shepard won't be appearing in any serious role in the actual narrative, but when she does she'll be Commander Hayley Shepard, a Spacer-born War Hero (my character from my own playthrough of the series - leave me be! haha).

Even though this is only a prologue to whet the appetites of anybody who may be interested in the ME universe, any reviews, comments, what have you would be greatly apreciated! Thanks guys

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**PROLOGUE**

**MANHATTAN, EARTH, SOL SYSTEM**

_**THE EVE OF **_**SSV NORMANDY'S**_** MAIDEN VOYAGE TO EDEN PRIME**_

_MEMORANDUM; For the Attentions of Director Martin Raynes; and to all CC Recipients_

_From: Systems' Alliance Colonial Affairs Administration_

_This is a memorandum drafted by the ALLIANCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN EXPANSION, chartered with the regulation of human colonial expansion under ARTICLE XII, PARAGRAPH XIV, SUBSECTION (C-2) OF THE ALLIANCE-HIERARCHY TREATY and the CITADEL ACT OF TRAVERSE EXPANSION EFFORTS, ARTICLE II "HUMAN EXPANSION," to inform the BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INVICTA UNICORP that the board's bid for colonisation rights of the planet designated "HAYLEY'S FAITH" in the QUEEN'S PROMISE SYSTEM of the territory demarcated as the ATTICAN TRAVERSE._

_All further inquiries should be directed by the board to the appropriate subcommittee of the Systems' Alliance Colonial Affairs Administration. Do not reply to this message._

_Signed;_

_MP Shauna Doherty, Chairperson of the Alliance Subcommittee on Human Expansion_

_Ambassador Donnel Udina, Alliance Representative to the Citadel_

_Acting First Minister Richard Simpson, President of the Systems' Alliance Parliament_

James FitzGerald forced himself not to break his gaze at the chairman of the board, stood at the other side of the beautifully ornate glass dining table that commanded the centre of the penthouse suite. Chairman Martin Raynes studied the datapad in his hand, reading the memorandum James had passed to him a moment prior. At last, after what seemed like an eternity, Raynes flashed a toothy grin, and replaced the datapad on the table.

'I knew I could count on you,' he wagged a finger in James' face. James clenched his jaw shut, not to show his disdain for the man he called his boss. 'If the board questioned me once, they questioned me a thousand times! _Too young_, they said! _Too inexperienced_! And look at you now!' Raynes moved around the table to the bar set up against the panoramic view of Manhattan that dominated the night sky in 360 degrees around the suite. The fires of the streetlights and skyline had made James feel dizzy when he first entered the room ten minutes ago; he didn't know if he could stomach a hard liquor. That being said, he knew better than to question the boss – he simply watched with growing trepidation as Raynes poured out two shots of Krogan brandy and strode back over to James, handing him one of the glasses. They clinked, and then downed the stuff in one, James fighting the overwhelming urge to wince against the fire that rose in his chest as the liquid wormed its way down his gullet.

'Too young!' Raynes laughed again, clapping James annoyingly on the back. 'Sure look at me! All I've achieved at my age, eh?' he gave a barking, head-splitting laugh. 'I was _right_ to fire your predecessor! That son of a bitch couldn't even land us the Alliance Military contracts, _but you_!' he slid the datapad back over to him and glanced down once more at the memo. 'Look at this...colonial rights to virgin territory! I was _right_ to pick you as a protégé!' he laughed again, and this time James smiled with him. Being the number two man in one of humanity's fastest growing defence contractors at the age of just 27 would have seemed, a year and a half ago, like a fairytale for James FitzGerald. That had been until his predecessor, a Harvard graduate and former First Recon Marine officer, a man supposedly bred for the top spot in the company, had botched his negotiations with the Alliance brass to secure exclusive contracts for Invicta Unicorp to outfit the new generation of Alliance warships being minted off the line in time for the Armistice Day celebrations. Martin Raynes was not a patient or forgiving man; he had promptly fired his corporate lackey and replaced him, against the board's expressed will, with James – and brought him in on his most ambitious scheme yet.

The foundation stone of that scheme now lay on the glass dining table that James knew probably had set Raynes back several thousand credits; the apartment alone must have scraped the hundred thousand mark. As James admired his lavish surroundings, he heard the sound of Raynes pouring another round of Krogan brandy, and steeled himself for the inevitable shot – he could not possibly refuse a drink here, in what passed for Raynes' inner-circle, if Raynes even had enough friends or trustworthy acquaintances to form an inner circle. When the shot glass was handed to him, James accepted it without hesitation.

'Your father was Alliance Navy, am I correct?' Raynes asked as James forced the burning liquid down his throat. No wonder the Krogan were such violent bastards, he thought; I'd want to destroy every other race in the galaxy too if I was forced to drink this crap every night!

James nodded slowly. 'Yeah, that's right. He served in the First Contact War.'

'Shanxi, is that correct?'

James felt a bucket of ice being dumped into his stomach. He met Raynes' piercing, searching gaze, and again nodded. Rayned just shook his head and tutted in rapid succession.

'Terrible what those Turian bastards did at Shanxi,' Raynes poured a third round, 'I'm sorry about your father.'

James shrugged it off, doing his best to keep himself composed. 'It was a long time ago. Emotions fade,' he lied, swallowing the vile liquid before the truth of the matter could show on his face.

'Must make you sick, what the Turians are doing to humanity on the citadel; vetoing proposal after proposal, blocking any attempt for a human seat on the council...' Raynes studied his glass carefully before downing it in one go. 'That will change soon enough,' he replaced the shot glass on the table, and clapped James yet again between the shoulder blade. 'We will be at war again soon my friend' – James stopped himself rolling his eyes at the use of the familiar "friend" – 'and Invicta Unicorp will lead the way into a new era for humanity, and the galaxy.' Raynes grinned wickedly, and looked back at the datapad, the memorandum still emblazoned over its screen. 'It all begins at Hayley's Faith.'

James let the words wash over him as he turned his attention back to the monolithic structures that dominate the New York skyline outside the apartment. Martin Raynes' plans to restart the First Contact War between the Systems' Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy was...well, brilliant, he had to admit. Humanity deserved a place on the council, and too many families wanted payback for the human blood spilled at Shanxi. James' widowed mother amongst them. And the secret to that plan lay in whatever was buried beneath the surface of Hayley's Faith. James felt a strange sense of destiny come over him – it wouldn't be long now.

Soon, they would have it all.

Soon, _he_ would have it all.


End file.
